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Related Experiment Videos

Interpersonal consequences of seeking self-esteem.

Lora E Park1, Jennifer Crocker

  • 1Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA.

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|October 7, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Ego threat impacts how people with high self-esteem and strong academic self-worth view and are viewed by others. Specific threats, not general self-worth, drive these interpersonal changes.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Personality Psychology

Background:

  • Self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth influence interpersonal behavior.
  • Ego threat can disrupt social interactions and perceptions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interactive effects of self-esteem, contingencies of self-worth, and ego threat on interpersonal supportiveness and liking.
  • To determine if domain-specific ego threats have differential impacts compared to general self-worth threats.

Main Methods:

  • Participants with high/low self-esteem and high academic contingency received either failure feedback (ego threat) or neutral feedback.
  • Participants then interacted with a confederate disclosing a personal problem.
  • Post-interaction, participants and confederates rated target supportiveness and liking.

Main Results:

  • High self-esteem, highly contingent individuals felt and were perceived as less supportive and likable after ego threat compared to no threat.
  • Low self-esteem, highly contingent individuals showed a non-significant reverse pattern.
  • Interpersonal effects were linked to domain-specific (academic) ego threat, not general self-worth contingency.

Conclusions:

  • Ego threat significantly impacts the interpersonal behavior and perceptions of individuals high in self-esteem and academic contingencies of self-worth.
  • The domain of the ego threat is crucial in understanding its interpersonal consequences.
  • Findings highlight the complex interplay between self-perceptions, threat, and social functioning.

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